Pulsing Kurama x Karasu
by SecretWishX
Summary: Karasu is somehow back from the dead, and he wants Kurama. He formulates a plan, and along with Bui, sets out to find Kurama and wreck the Urameshi team, however, if these two are back, then whats to say the Toguro brothers aren't dead as well? Gore, death, crime, and all that good stuff.
1. Prologue: Dream-Memory

He awoke to the strange sensation of a breeze tickling his bare chin, an unfamiliar feeling. The man that was not a man wondered why this was odd. Why was this strange? Why did it signal something important?

 _Don't you wear a mask?_ A voice that was his sounded in his head.

 _Of course,_ he answered, half wondering why he was holding a conversation with himself.

Was this crazy? Another question. Could this one be answered? What was the definition of crazy?

He felt as is if he was forgetting something important.

 _Where is your mask, stupid, a_ gain, a voice that was his said something to him.

 _I do not know...Why am I having a conversation with you?_

 _You're having a conversation with yourself._

 _Is that strange?_

 _I don't know. It is as strange as not wearing a mask._

 _Don't I wear a mask?_

And then the conversation that was not a conversation went in a circle, stopping where it had started. He decided not to ask anymore questions. They were confusing. Or was it the answers that were confusing? He scolded himself for asking a question. No more of those.

The man, for that is what you'd think he was, (remember he is not), became aware that he was on a cold, hard-soft surface. It was slightly damp; he knew this from the feeling of wetness seeping through his cloths. It was cold-he was cold. Not freezing cold, but slightly chilly, an uncomfortable iciness.

He made the crucial decision to open his eyes.

A sky that was a depressing gray barely tinted with blue. There was no sign of the sun, yet it is too bright for his eyes to handle. He quickly shuts them, hearing the sharp murmur of voices. He can hear words, but cannot fully process them.

"Should we call someone?"

"Duh, yeah!"

A third voice joins the conversation that pierces his ears, "Get the police...and an ambulance!"

Again, he opens his eyes, getting used to the dim brightness. The black branch of a tree waves at the edge of his vision, announcing a cool breeze that chills his skin. The sound of the wind graces his ears with a soft rustling. Somewhere near a crow caws.

His eyes adjust almost as a camera would, blurring what he sees, then sharpening their focus. It is unclear, however, what he is focusing on, as the only thing he can see is the sky and that bit of branch. Wait...no- the top part of someone's face appears. His eyes quickly latch onto this sight.

"...sir, can you hear me?...We're getting you help, just hold o-"

He tunes out the voice and concentrates on rising from the damp surface that is dew covered grass. This motion is easier than he expected, and he wonders why he thought it would be hard. Then a question he cannot censor freezes him.

 _Shouldn't I be dead?_

His attempt is stopped as he sits back onto the ground.

 _Why should I be dead?..._

 _Don't I wear a mask?_

He stares at nothing for a moment, then gets to his feet. Three humans take a step back, their instincts far wiser than they are. He ignores this and brings his hands to his face, turning them over and marveling at the way they move. His skin is pale, frightfully so, a sharp contrast to his jet black hair. The ground squishes under his feet, muddying his black dress shoes. At his full height, he towers over the humans. Not paying attention to their well placed terror, he brushes past them, a small feeling of shock jolting through him as they do not explode. He does not pause to ponder this feeling, but walks onto a packed, dirt road. It leads off into the distance, over rolling hills, sparsely dotted with the occasional dead tree.

The humans wisely do not follow nor attempt to stop him, and he wonders why they have made the right choice. This question is filed away for later as a more urgent one pops into his head.

 _Who am I?_

 _Mhm, yes, who are you?_

He continues his path, this new question the most puzzling one yet. The voice that is his keeps asking over and over again, until it becomes a chant that he repeats inside his head along with the crows. They are perched on gnarled branches, their caws almost sounding a rhythm. He pauses to study one of these black birds at almost eye level, tilting his head to one side as if he has never seen one before. The crow opens its beak and tilts its head too, then caws.

"Karasu," its call seems to say, "You are Karasu."

The rest join in, a chorus of ominous caws.

"Karasu-"

"You are-"

"Karasu-"

"Karasu-"

"Karasu-"

And the man that is not a man finds one answer that is not as confusing as everything else. There is one question, however, that plagues him. It will not leave him alone.

 _Don't I wear a mask?_

He stretched a hand out from his body and twisted it upward, a gray, metal mask appearing out of thin air. He lifted it up, the cool surface slipping over the lower half of his face. He let out a soft sigh.

 _Yes I do, I do._

 _Yes you do, you d-_

With the constricting feeling of the mask his other voice went away. The crows went away too, in a flutter of wings, and he walked down the path. The slight wind rustling the black cloths he wore, exposing the red underside. Without warning he collapsed and did not move.

* * *

He awakes, once again confused. This familiar feeling of puzzlement is the only constant thing, and that troubles him even more. A small smile graces his lips...why?

He lifts himself from the ground to find that he had been laying on a worn dirt path shrouded by dead trees. There is no sign of the crows. For a moment he stands there, thinking of nothing. Then he begins to move forward, an apparition on a path few have traveled, so true in many different ways.

The fog creeps in as he stops in his tracks. What had he dreamed...what had he remembered? This question should be easy to answer, but for some reason he does not know the solution. The dream-memory flits away from his grasp. He catches a glimpse of a red rose, before it too dances away to the depths of his mind.

 _Something..._

 _Something about..._

 _Something he wanted..._

 _Something desirable..._

 _Someth- someone._

An image appears, a tall, slender figure with flowing red locks.

And then the dream-memory takes shape, and he knows what happened, but not really. The earlier question comes to mind.

 _Shouldn't I be dead?_

He is not, though, and he continues along the path, walking almost absentmindedly. Another dream-memory enters his head. The feeling of holding soft hair. The fear of the owner of this hair. The desire, hot and burning like his last moments of life...

He- no, not he- _Karasu,_ enters the fog and walks out of sight, wanting to fill the desire he now has, both for answers, and for _him._


	2. Ten Seconds

**I can't wait for this to really get started! The ship, Karasu x Kurama has always fascinated me. I love the scene in the hallway where Karasu comes up behind Kurama, it gives me the shivers! I hope you all like this, and as always please review!**

Kurama stands near the brick wall, leaning against its cool, rough surface, the attractive apparition attracting shy looks from the passing students. He holds a stack of school books and a brown leather satchel hangs from his shoulder. Kurama sighs along with the slight breeze and checks his watch, it is almost four. Hiei was supposed to meet him twenty minutes ago.

The sun had been playing hide and seek with the clouds all day, disappearing and reappearing randomly. Nevertheless, the day was a nice one despite the fact it was the beginning of the cold seasons. The warm weather was putting up a good fight. Wind tickled the trees like spirits tickled Kuwabara, creating a slight chill. Kurama checked his watch again.

"Getting impatient, are we?"

A familiar, slightly amused voice sounded form above. Kurama stepped away from the wall and looked up, shielding his eyes against the sun.

"Hiei, how long have you been there?"

The shorter demon ignored the question and leapt down from his perch, a slim branch hidden by a tree that had not yet forfeited its leaves. "I've overheard forty plans on sneaking love notes into your locker."

"Really," Kurama answered, "I counted seventy two."

The two apparitions trek down a nearly deserted sidewalk, neither one speaking. It was Hiei who broke the silence.

"There is something you need to know."

"Oh?"

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard the rumors. There's been talk of a demon who's been asking around about your location."

"That's nothing to be worried about. Ever since the Dark Tournament many apparitions have been looking for members of our team."

"You're right. I wouldn't be going through this trouble unless there as something more. Apparently the demon bears much resemblance to Karasu."

At this Kurama stopped and looked down at Hiei. "D...does Koema know?"

"No."

"But doesn't he have contacts, undercover agents?"

Hiei smirked. "They have no idea how to blend in. Most are killed on the first day. It's probably nothing, but I'm telling you to be on the lookout."

"Can you seek him out with your Jagon Eye?"

"I can't find things that are dead. It's most likely just a rumor, but often they turn out to be more than they seem to be."

"I'll be on alert.

Hiei nodded and prepared to leap away before Kurama stopped him.

"Wait, Hiei, one question. Why are you telling me this? You said it was probably nothing yourself."

Hiei turned and stared at Kurama. "I'm telling you this because Karasu was a challenging opponent and you're the only sane person on this team." He once again started to go.

"Are you going to see Koema?"

"No, the brat will bother me with more work to do. I took this time out of my schedule to warn you, and I suggest you listen." With that Hiei disappeared.

Kurama continued down the road and sighed. This day was too nice to worry about anything. He filled his lungs with the fresh air and smiled. Should he take a walk or find a peaceful spot to read? Kurama decided to take the longer, yet more scenic route to the forest. There was a small secluded spot that was not to far from his house where he went to do homework and mediate. It was right near a small brook and surrounded by young saplings. He hurried home and dropped off his school books, the thought of going there already relaxing him.

This was nothing to worry about! This was not the Dark Tournament; he had Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei to back him up, and no corrupt committee to create false rules at their expense. With that thought a smile graced Kurama's face and he began the long yet serene walk to the forest.

...

Ever since he had awoken Karasu had been looking. He'd been lying low, gathering resources and strength. Only a few months ago had he become strong enough to begin asking around for the location of _him._ All of his memories had returned, his dreams plagued by a slender red haired demon. It was only just recently that Karasu learnt the apparition's name: _Kurama._ He said it over and over, letting it roll off his tongue, his mouth become familiar with the word.

Ku-rama

Kur-ama

Kura-ma

Just saying the fox's name made his body ache yearn to feel the soft red hair and paralyzing fear that he caused.

Try as he might, Karasu cannot find the forest that he had awaken in. The worn dirt path and black, gnarled trees evade him, and the crows have not since spoken. It was during one of these searches that he found Bui. He was in Brazil, following a rumor of a demon who might be able to seek out Kurama, but the search had been futile. Karasu had killed the demon who'd told him this, then entered the lush tropical forests of Brazil. He had sensed a large burst of spirit energy and decided to look for it. Karasu traversed the forest with ease, plants and branches barely brushing him. He abruptly stopped at the sight of a familiar figure with a head of blue green hair.

Bui pushed through the wide, wet leaves, his skin tight blue shirt soaked with sweat. He had an angry look on his face, his hair slightly disheveled. Suddenly he stiffened and turned in Karasu's direction, eyes narrowing. Karasu stepped out from the emerald flora. He was surprised, an emotion that he rarely felt, though he did not dare to show it on his face.

"Bui." He acknowledged the other demon's presence, as if confirming it. This was an opportunity he would take advantage of, but to do so he must play his cards right.

"Karasu? I thought you were dead."

"As did I, but apparently we were both wrong."

Bui was normally an apparition of few words, but the shock of seeing Karasu made him forget this. "I was killed too, or I thought I was. How?"

"Again, I believe that I am speaking for the both of us when I say that I do not know." Bui nodded as Karasu spoke again, "I have a proposition. I need your help."

"We may have been teammates back then, but nothing more. Why should I honor that bond?" Bui asks this slowly, his deep voice like a roll of thunder.

"Just think, Bui, if I'm alive and you're alive then maybe, just maybe the Toguro Brothers are too. We can get our revenge together...I only need you to help me with one task. A simple, simple task." Karasu could see Bui considering this, mulling it over in his mind. "I'll share every piece of information I've gathered, just one task. All I need is your help."

"Deal," Bui says, "I would shake your hand but I fear of the damage I may cause. Without my armor I cannot d-"

Karasu lifts his hand from is side and in a small puff of purplish smoke a helmet appears, in the same style of Bui's old one. "Bombs are not he only thing that I can create," he says, and hands it to his teammate.

Bui accepts the headpiece and puts it on, the weight of it already making him feel more secure. Karasu watches the demon's shoulders relax and knows that Bui is his. He conjures the whole set piece by piece and gives it to Bui

"Come. Follow me to my base. It's stationed in Japan, but it will not take us too long to reach it. I will be able to utilize you greatly in my plan. You see, my old friend, there is something I want. If you remember from the Dark Tournament, I desire-"

"The fox," Bui's bass voice rumbles.

"Exactly," Karasu says, "Now let us go." He leaps into the forest, black coat spreading behind him like wings. In an instant he is gone, the leaves softly whispering his path through the way they tremble.

Bui follows and has no trouble keeping up. He now no longer has to worry about misjudging a jump and obliterating acres of the forest. He is now in debt to Karasu and will stay loyal, a least until the other demon's plan has succeeded. Bui remembers the fox demon, a skilled fighter with red locks. He does not know his name, only that Karasu wants him. A thought comes to mind as Bui leaps from tree to tree, feet barely skimming the forest floor.

 _Where there is fox, there is dragon._

Not many can follow Bui's train of thought, as there is usually none, but those who can might understand. Only if they were present for Bui's last fight, against _the dragon._

Karasu is having similar thoughts, along the same lines, but much more darker. He knows who Bui fought and he knows how the demon's mind works.

 _I will kill two birds with one stone,_ he muses, _I will find the short demon who Bui fought, ensuring that he won't alert the rest of the U_ _rameshi team, and strengthen Bui's loyalty to me. Even if Bui decides to somehow betray me, I will be able to kill him easily._

Bui was unaware that Karasu had planted one of his explosives in the helmet. He could detonate it at any moment. They exited the forest and entered a long expanse of grassland, running and jumping faster than any human could see or hope to go. Karasu almost smiled beneath his mask.

 _I am coming for you, my little fox. This time it'll be okay if you stay down for longer than ten seconds._

 **Please review!**

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